The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1887-09-03
CHAPTER x
AT TIE EvERGEEENs.


While Mr.. Wrinkle, as the representative
OF the life insurance company, was moving
everything movable in his attempts to trace
the missing No 10; while the worthy War
den speculated vaguely upon the telegram
of inquiry sent him by the insurance com
pany; while Joshua Britt read with inerels-
| ing anger. and indignation, and terror the
story of the pardon, No. 10, actuated by
one overpowering desire-the desire for re-
venge-was every dav drawing little nearer
to the goal of his ambition. Guided BY
the secret limited at in the letters that had
formed the packet the Warden had given
him on Christmas morning, he had plodded
| steadily forward-always IN the right dIrec-
/ ton.
| Now the month was March. The short,
mild winter was rapidly drawing to a close.
| Already the snow had disappeared, leaving
! the earth dark and dreary- looking land
! scapo.
| Through the mud and slush the solitary
| figure Of a man appeared upon the scene.
/ HIS Eaggard face was weather beaten and
! tanned, and he walked like one who had
/ travelled long distance. He paused mo-
ment in his toilsome journey, and from a
/ slight eminence looked attentiyely about
/ him
| To the east stretched the mysterious
marshes through which he had evidently
/ come. To the westward the hills lifted
4 their long, uneven outlines against sun
1 less sky.
| To the left stretched the barren fields.
At the right of him and standing far back
| from the travelled road, as if counting OBJ
security and loneliness, was thick grove of
eyergreens.
And behind these trees, and partially
| hidden by their boughs, stood an old red
brick building, now much dilapidated and
evidently falling to decay. row of sol
emn frs edged the boundary line between
the road and the adjacent fields leading
up to the old, moss eayed mansion, and a
dirty pond at the foot of the little hill
seemed to serve as a drain to the lands
about It. Some ducks were now dlsportine
over the turbid surface of the pool, and
their noisy gabble reached the ears of the
approaching traveller.
He turned from the main road and en-
tered the fields, like one who had once been
familiar with the place and its surround
ings.
A few rods brought him to double row
of cypress trees, standing so near together
that their interlacing arms clasped each
other above his head. A path, shaded and
lonely led on somewhere between the
trees lie plunged quickly into this walk,
and went on in the shadows over the hill,
beyond the old red house among the frs.
The walk ended as suddenly as it had
begun, the traveller tindi & himself IN a
small luare Inclosure bordered on all
sides with funeral cypress trees.
Evidently the place was private Gene
terry for a few head stones here and there
told the mournful story of death.
He made his way quickly to a far corner
of the yard. A grave, sunken and uncared
for, with dead weeds breast high upon 1t,
met his gaze.
The stone that marked it was displaced,
and lay. face downward, on the ground.
He stopped and righted it. The inscrip-
ton was nearly etfaced. Mold and mildew
had lett their mark upon it.
He put his finger carefully upon the let
tiers, and traced them out, one by one.